The Day Jason Crabb Helped Create Rising Life

Yes, THE Jason Crabb…

Yes, Grammy winning, Dove award winning, Kentucky boy Jason Crabb. He was absolutely critical to the start of Rising Life. Other than a power house voice, *coughs*, and both being from Western Kentucky, Jason Crabb and Rising Life’s music doesn’t have a lot in common.

This is a long one, but PLEASE stay with me here. You will be blessed.

Proverbs 19:21 says: Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

You talk about hitting me in the head with a sledgehammer! And to think, sitting here 6 years removed from that Sept in 2011, this almost didn’t happen.

My entire life I had been groomed for ministry and music. I just kept going my own way. Living my own way. Sure I had been saved, but I lived like pure heck most of the time. I even came close to going into music ministry several times. Always running the other way. I thought I was fast enough to get away from God, so did Jonah though right? He caught me in September of 2011 at a little country nursing home.

The Setup

My mother was the director of nursing for a Christian based nursing and rehabilitation center. They were having a revival in the parking lot. Jason Crabb was the featured artist. She had tried to get me to go to see him several times and I always ignored her. She gave me his CD, I didn’t listen to it. So goes with this one as well, I just said….ehhh…

See I was living for myself and Satan. I had been playing bars AND singing in church. I had one foot in, and one foot out. Life was good and I had a solid career that I was going to retire from making six figures. I didn’t want or need any Jason Crabb influence in my life! However, leave it to the innocence of a child to bring down an entire nation.

My son Noah and his Mimi, my mother, are tight. They have had the kind of grandmother/grandson relationship people dream of having from the time he was born. He loves his Mimi beyond anything you could imagine. At this event, they were having bounce houses and hot dogs. Those two things are seemingly like crack to children. Little did I know she had already told this innocent 4 year old all about it. So I had reluctantly said yes we would go.

That Tuesday came, I got home from work, Kristy was at the barn with her horses. It was just Noah and myself. I did NOT want to go, period. I called Mom and said, “Hey, Noah and I don’t feel well, I don’t think we are going to make it.” Yea…I just lied to my mother.

The Innocence of a Child

She was very disappointed but didn’t push it. I was clear. YES!! I could chill and do nothing. Well about 20 minutes later, Noah, who has the memory of 10 elephants said, “Daddy are we leaving yet?”

I said, “For what?”

He said, “To go to Mimi’s work for the bounce houses and concert.”

To which I replied, “No…I called Mimi to tell her we weren’t coming.”

Well here came the water works. He broke down. He said ‘I want my Mimi’ several times.

Oh Allllriiight…So I reluctantly got packed up, got in my Explorer, and we set off for the event.

The Event and Jason takes the stage

We arrive and it is packed. I mean this is the sticks folks, I couldn’t find parking. I am like…ok what the heck is going on. Why is there no parking? Is the president here? We finally park about a half mile away, walk up to the event, and find Mom. Oh man she was pumped and Noah ran into her arms. I was like…yea we made it after all.

So we ate, had fun, and night fall came. Jason appeared and they had this HUGE old school revival tent up. I bet there were 6 or 700 people stuffed in there. I was in the back, very stand offish and very ‘too cool for school.’ I try not to be hipster, but at times I can’t help it.

Jason has a small band, a drummer, who looked more like Travis Barker from Blink 182, which I took note of as very interesting, a keyboardist, a bassist, and then Jason on guitar. He takes the stage and they start the opening riff of “Hope For Me Yet.” Ok, I was blown away by the sound, professionalism. I mean the guy did win a Grammy. I might make it through without suffering too much.

The Spirit Explodes

Well something happened. He sang the first words, and, the only way I can describe it, well cold chills, goose bumps, heart flutters, sweat, elation, you name it. It over took me. I now know and understand later that it was the Holy Spirit. It basically over took me. I was almost knocked off my feet. His power ran all over me. Just typing this I feel tears as I remember that moment.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR JASON SING THE SONG THAT CHANGED HEATH’S LIFE

I felt like my body weighed 10,000 pounds, tears flowed down my face. Noah was with Mimi and I was in the back alone. Next to me was an empty chair, and in the next chair was a guy probably 30, dressed like a rodeo cowboy, who in one hand had a small bible. He looked over at me and saw me just bawling, he placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. We had a moment together. He was by himself as well. I could tell this guy was strong in the Lord.

I tried to compose myself. No matter what I did though, each song, it got stronger and worse. I grabbed my cell phone, barely a signal. I called Kristy. She answered, but the signal was broken up some.

I said, “I need you. Now. You have to get down here.”

She replied, “Where? I thought you were home?”

“No I brought Noah to Mimi’s work, we are at the concert.”

“Ok, what’s going on?”

“Something is happening, I don’t know. I need you now.”

“Do you need to go to the hospital? Aren’t there nurses there?”

“No not that kind of something, something is happening right now in this tent. I need you here.”

“Ok I am on the way.”

Kristy Arrives

That 45 minute wait for her was the longest of my life. She got there, found me and saw the state I was in. At this point, I looked like ground beef mushed together. She didn’t say a word, just put her arms around me and we finished the concert together.

Finally things calmed, and I was better. Jason always hangs around to meet and greet his fans one at a time. He was so loving and gracious and he took time to speak to me and gave us both hugs. We went home. Whatever had happened, I was hooked, no…addicted.

The Rising Life Seed is Planted

In the days that followed, it was simply a blur. However, I had a feeling I knew what was going on. The Lord was finally telling me, “You have done it your way, I have allowed you to run free and amok, but now I am taking back what is Mine and you will use it for Me.” Message received.

So I told all of this to Kristy. I told her I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but I knew the bar music life was over. Figuring this all out was my sole purpose. I had became a somewhat decent songwriter over the years. So I just sat in the computer room and just started playing. A riff came out, and what followed was the first song I ever wrote for the Lord, “His Sacrifice.” The original demo of that song is now on the “Heart in Flames – Ultimate Fan Edition.” It wasn’t the best song in the world, but man it felt good.

Grammy Winner Jason Crabb Prays with Rising Life

I became a Jason Crabb stalker, we attended 4 or 5 of his concerts in the next month or so. What is crazy is, I am a rocker and he is not. Finally in Jackson, TN, I mustered the courage to tell him what had happened at the meet and greet. A line of 200 people behind me waiting, I told him, “I know you are busy, but give me 5 minutes and hear me out.” Well I told him the story. I was shaking. It was awkward, but he was a trooper.

At the end of that I asked him to pray for us when he had time.

He said “Let’s do it right now.”

He yanked Kristy and I up and laid his hands on us, and prayed. I remember the prayer almost exactly. He asked the Lord to guide us, to show me the way, to bless my ministry. He then told me, I can’t wait to see where you are in 1, 5, or even 10 years. Little did he know, it would only take a year.

God’s Awesome Power

Jump ahead a couple months, I wrote and wrote and Rising Life was formed. That year is well documented, but not this part until now.

Jason Crabb was coming back the next September for a local concert. I am in attendance. Jason gets off the bus, sees some guys from another band setting up. I walk up and shake his hand, almost a year to the date from the night the Lord grabbed me and put me His arms, and I say…